Wavemaker India announces key leadership appointments

Wavemaker India has announced changes in the executive leadership roles today, to adapt to the changing industry dynamics and to continue its dominant position in the media industry. 

Kishan Kumar MS is elevated and has taken on a larger role as Chief Growth Officer, Wavemaker India.  Along with his new mandate, Kishan continues to lead Wavemaker South businesses across Bangalore, Chennai, Kerala and Hyderabad. Kishan has been with Wavemaker for the last 14 years and has played an instrumental role in building Wavemaker as one of the biggest media agencies in South India. Kishan’s vast experience across categories, clubbed with his passion and innovation for brand building; make him well-suited to take on the new role.        

Premjeet Sodhi transitions into Chief Strategy Officer, Wavemaker India from his earlier profile of Chief Growth Officer. Premjeet joined Wavemaker in April this year after a 2-year stint with Mindshare Fulcrum as the agency head. Premjeet has rich experience of over 25 years spanning across many leading agencies where he has managed clients like Amazon, Reckitt, Kraft Heinz, Infoedge and many more. Premjeet’s understanding of evolving media and managing core client capabilities will continue to be a great contributor in his new role. 

Vishal Jacob returns to Wavemaker India as Chief Digital Officer after close to 2 years with GroupM as Principal Consultant – Change Planning & Transformation. Vishal has been in the GroupM ecosystem for over 14 years and has played a key role in anchoring the digital initiatives at Wavemaker and GroupM. Vishal is also an Author and a certified executive coach with a keen interest in behavioral sciences. His rich experience across brands, industries and markets will further propel Wavemaker’s leadership position in the digital space.

Sandeep Pandey, who leads Product and Strategy has been elevated as Global Head of Analytics where he will be driving Wavemaker’s global practice on analytics. Sandeep has been with GroupM for the last 15 years in leadership positions across APAC markets. Sandeep came on board with Wavemaker in 2014 as Asia Pacific head of marketing Effectiveness. Sandeep has served clients in automotive, pharma, banking, consumer goods, food & beverages, technology and other industries across India, Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, Japan and other key markets in Asia Pacific. Sandeep will continue to be based out of Gurgaon as he transitions into his global role.

Commenting on these changes, Ajay Gupte, CEO – South Asia, Wavemaker said, “This has been an extraordinary year that has challenged us in many ways. These changes are designed to enhance our position and enable us to drive continuous growth for our clients, teams and other stakeholders. I am excited about these changes and look forward to create some positive disruptions in the near future”. 

Kishan, Premjeet and Vishal will report into Ajay in their new roles.